Spool-holder



(No Model.)

T. W. NORTON.

SPOOL HOLDER.

No. 399,921. Patented Mar. 19, 1889.

no m m o H G 4 M w clo-Lnhographen Washingt un. o. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS IV. NORTON, OF SHAMOPIN, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPOOL-HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,921, dated March 19, 1889.

Application filed July 25, 1888. Serial No. 281,039. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. NORTON, a resident of Shamopin, Ethel Landing P. 0., in the county of Beaver and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Spool-Carrier and 'lhread-Outter; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact de scription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improved portable device for carrying spools of thread and a combined thread-cu tter.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple, neat, compact, and ornamental device that may be removably secured to the waist or bust of a womans dress, and Which is adapted to receive several spools of silk or other thread, I

so as to support them in a convenient posi tion at hand for use and permit them to be removed at will.

A further object is to combine with a spooled thread-carrier a thread-cutter that is available to sever a strand of thread when it is unwound from a spool held on the carrier.

With these objects in view my invention consists in parts and combinations of these parts, as will be hereinafter described, and indicated in the claims.

Referring to the drawings making a part of this specification, Figure l is a PQISPQCUXG view of the device ready for attachment to a womans dress. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the thread-carrier with the parts adjusted to receive the spools of thread. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device, showing the threadcutter mounted on a spring-latch which holds the parts in closed adjustment.

A represents the frame of the spool-carrier, preferably made of sheet metal and consisting of a back plate, to, having an integral wing, a, turned at a right angle thereto, and on the opposite edge a similar wing, I), attached by hinges c to the same, so as to allow this wing to swing upon the back plate. There is a rod or round bar, B, secured by one of its ends, (7, to the hinged wing b. The other end, (1', enters a notch, 6, cut in the opposite wing or wall, a, when the wing on which it is secured stands at right angles to the back plate, a, and parallel to the fixed wing at.

It will be seen that by the described form of construction the rod B, which 'is intended to support several spools, C, on which. are Wound thread of any material, will lie parallel to the back plate, a, and removed from itza sufficient distance to allow the spools O to rotate freely thereon. V

The frame A may be made of brass or other material and given an ornamental form of any preferred design.

It is intended to cutaway the stuff in open fret-work to lighten and improve the appearance of the device.

To hold the rod B securely in place by its end d, there is a spring-plate, I, provided, this plate being preferably constructed of steel. It consists of a thin fiat strip bent at a right angle to fit neatly against the corner of the fixed wing a. One limb, f, of the right-angled spring I extends behind the back-plate, a, and is secured thereto near the end, so as to permit a spring action edgewise of the other limb, f, which lies close against the Wing a in an inclined position, the bent corner g of the spring I being so formed as to incline the flat body of the limb f toward the notch e and press with its adjacent edge partially across this notch. The upper end of the limb f is beveled toward the bottom of the notch 6, thus aifording an incline for the engagement of the rounded body of the rod B, which, when pressed against this sloping edge of the springlimb f will push it back, so as to seat the rod on the bottom of the notch e. The relative diameter of the rod to the depth of the notch and position of the spring-limb f is such as to cause a spring engagement of this latchinglimb upon the rounded upper surface of the rod B, to hold it securely in place as well as the spools C, that have previously been placed thereon.

A knife-blade edge is formed upon the small car el, which is preferably bent from the same material of which the spring-plate limb f is made, said ear depending at an angle, so that the sharp lower edge, 1', will be correctly lo cated to engage thread which has been unwound from one of the spools C and sever it by a slight upward pull on the free end of the thread.

In order to secure the spool-carrier in place and permit its ready removal, a hinged pin,

J, may be secured on the rear surface of the back plate of the frame A to be inserted through the garments on the bust or side of the user; or other means may be provided to removably fasten the device in place convenient of access when needle-work or embroidery is being executed. This thread-carrier is particularly Well adapted to hold embroiderysilk ready for use, as several colors of silk thread may be supported on different spools and be ready for instant use without search or trouble of any kind, as the tints may be graded in regular order on the spool-carrier, and as all are visible at a glance the right shade may at once be obtained and the thread severed in an obvious manner.

Having fullydescribed my invention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a back plate having a fixed Wing at one side and a hinged Wing at the other side, of a spool supporting rod fixed to one Wing and means upon the other Wing for engaging the rod, whereby the said wings are held in closed adjustment, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, With a back plate having a fixed wing on one end and ahinged Wing on the other end, one of said wings having a notch in its edge and a spring projecting yieldingly over an edge of thenotch, of a spool-supporting rod fixed to one wing, its other end being adapted to enter the notch in the other and be held therein by the spring, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a back plate having a fixed Wing. on one end and ahinged Wing on the other end, one wing having a notch in its edge and a spring beveled at the end proj ecting partly over the notch, said spring having a knife projecting therefrom, of a spoolsupporting rod fixed to one win g, an d adapted to enter the notch in the other wing and be held therein by the spring, substantially as set forth.

4E. The combination, with a back plate, a wing fixed to one end, and one hinged to the opposite end, the rigid wing having a notch in its edge, of a spool-supporting rod fixed to the hinged wing, with its free end in position to enter the notch in the edge of the other wing, a spring secured to the back plate and bent around the fixed wing, so as to project partly over the notch therein, in order to hold the spool-supporting rod therein, a knife on this spring, and a pin hinged to the back of the back plate, for the purpose substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with frame, a device to pin the frame on the person of a user, a fixed wing having a notch, anda hinged parallel wing, of a spool-supporting rod fastened by one end to the hinged wing and adapted to enter the open notch in the fixed win g, a platespring which latches over the spool-supporting rod, and a thread-cutting lip or ear formed on the spring latch-plate, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS W, NORTON.

Witnesses:

HUGH MCCOY, JAMES MoOLosKEY. 

